Hi Nicola,
You actually have a strong foundation for moving into Power Platform. Your previous experience with SharePoint, BI development, and software engineering training is highly relevant, especially because Power Platform sits across data, automation, application development, and business solutions.
I would suggest building your skills in this order:
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Power Apps – Start with Canvas Apps and then move into Model-driven Apps.
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Dataverse – Learn tables, relationships, security roles, business rules, and solutions.
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Power Automate – Focus on real-world business process automation and integrations.
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Power BI – Your BI background should give you a good advantage here; learn how Power BI integrates with Dataverse and Power Apps.
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ALM & Solutions – Once you're comfortable building apps, learn environments, solutions, environment variables, and deployment.
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Developer skills – If you want to move toward a developer role, gradually add Power Fx, JavaScript, APIs, custom connectors, and eventually plug-ins/PCF.
Most importantly, build projects rather than focusing only on certifications. A small portfolio of 3–4 realistic solutions can demonstrate your skills much better than certificates alone.
For example, you could build a charity volunteer management app, donation tracking system, case management solution, or an automated approval/workflow system. Since you already have access to Power Platform at work, that's a great opportunity to build practical experience.
And don't underestimate your previous experience. You're not starting from zero—you already understand SharePoint, BI, and software development concepts. Power Platform can actually bring those skills together.
Good luck with your PL-200 journey! I definitely think it's a realistic career direction for you.
